In The Refiner's Fire

Tomatoes!  I used these to make the tomato sauce we're eating this week. We spent just over $50 on groceries this week, including many household paper products and toilet cleaner.  We include these types of items in our grocery budget because we typically purchase them at the same time.  I bought Clementine's, bananas, yogurt, milk, and some sale hamburger this week as well as six cans of canned beans in addition to the paper products and toilet cleaner. Almost all of the food for these meals came from what we already have in the house.  We have most of a head of lettuce and other fresh vegetables as well as apples and lemons in the refrigerator.  We also have lots of frozen fruit and vegetables in the freezer.  We have chicken, turkey, beef, pork and fish for meat right now, as well as 2 1/2 dozen eggs, so we are quite set for protein too. Here's what we're eating this week: Sunday, December 3, 2017:    Breakfast: Raspberry-Banana Smo...

Beet Pickles - made this summer.  I opened a jar of these this week.  Yum! Is anyone else in awe that it's already December?   I know I can't believe it.  Part of that unbelief is the weather - 50F for temperatures this last week and we're still there this weekend.  We head down into the 20'sF this week but, wow, it feels like fall still in so many ways.  I put together a menu plan for the rest of the 2017 year using mostly what we already have in our freezers and cupboards.  I am planning on taking advantage of some really good sales to stock up for January through March (hopefully longer) but otherwise, we have most of what we need.  We've been busy and will stay that way for a few weeks - Advent at church, all the December "stuff" with the children (concerts, recitals, end of term projects at school, etc.) and the end of the term at the University I teach for, which is coming up very soon.   In between all of that, my...